


Operetta de Fantasía

by NemuiNingen



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternative Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Bottom!Piers, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Boys' Love, Christmas, Christmas Caroling, Dessert & Sweets, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Holidays, Ice Skating, Inspired by Music, Internal Conflict, Internalized Homophobia, It's like a male siren, KBNZ - Freeform, Little Mermaid Elements, Loss of Control, M/M, Musicians, Piers is a fossegrimen, Public Nudity, Public Sex, Secret Relationship, Sirens, Smut, Soul Bond, Soul Selling, Tender Sex, Tenderness, Water Sex, Wyverns, Yuletide, but harmless, top!Raihan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NemuiNingen/pseuds/NemuiNingen
Summary: When the kingdom of Hammarlocke is falling to sickness, Raihan and Leon are sent out on witch hunts to try and find the cause. What Raihan discovers leaves him bewitched and drawn to a mysterious musician named Piers, who's music only he can hear. He returns to him every week until he becomes hypnotized, and no longer wishes to leave his side, wishing the hunts will never have to end. There is magic in the air, the trees, the water, and only one way to see it...or hear it.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 69





	1. Forest Overture

They moved quietly, taking care in every step as they ventured through the forest. The moist summer air was still, gathering sweat and evening drew over their brows. Raihan followed Leon close, turning his head every so often to keep an eye on the rear as well as to quickly cut a marker into whichever tree the past- a small arrow point in the direction they came from. Cicadas screamed and owls called out, piercing the atmosphere of any tension.

One soldier's hand rubbed smoothly along the hilt of the sword on his hip, finger tracing its silver guard. The white leather of his glove ran smoothly, moving slowly to grip tight. Leon was anxious, itching for something to happen other than hear another hoothoot screech at the shadows around them. “Are you sure you know where we’re going?” he whispered ahead. “We’ve been traveling for some time now. Surely we would have found it by now!”

Raihan looked back, raising a brow in the lantern light as Leon held the flame up to his face. Though he smirked, there was a confused look in his eye. “We left Hammarlocke’s gates only a few minutes ago, didn’t we? We’ve not even traveled beyond the kingdom’s hunting grounds. I’m sure it’ll be much farther out even if we _do_ manage to locate a witch’s cottage.” He paused for a moment to look back ahead and pressed on. “Besides, there is no proof of anything living in the kingdom’s domain. We’re being sent out here on suspicion and precaution alone. The entire guard is exploring these woods. Who’s the say they won’t discover a witch on the other border?”

Silence befell them for a moment.

“I just don’t like this. It’s like everyone is blind and still marching forward. I get that we can’t sit around and wait, but something like this just seems like wasted time and energy, don’t you think?”

Raihan was hesitant to respond and marched forward, rubbing his shoulder as he did so. “Orders are orders. We can’t do much else but obey. We’re only going as far as just outside the hunting grounds for tonight so we’ll be in bed before daybreak if we’re lucky.”

A few minutes passed and unable to stand the uneventful search any further, Leon grumbled as he halted in his tracks. “Let’s split up,” he erupted. “We’ll cover more ground if we spread out, won’t we? It’ll get the job done faster!”

“That’s a terrible idea, Leon. What will you do if you find this ‘witch’ we’re looking for? Or worse...how do you plan on finding your way back to the gates?” Raihan spun on his heels to face Leon as the other already took a few paces in another direction. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I won’t come looking for you if you get lost.”

“I’ll be fine! I’ve been marking the trees as we go. I’ll know the way back for sure!” He held out his arm towards Raihan. “You take the lantern. You’ll need it more than me.” With that, Leon reached around his belt for one of his pokeballs. A tap of the center switch and in a flash Leon’s trusted charmeleon appeared, stretching its arms as it let out a big yawn. “Charmeleon’s tail will do fine and he can help me find the way back!” There was no stopping him. Leon was already marching off the trail through the forest thickets, marking trees as he went.

Raihan could only massage the back of his head before he turned to continue along the trail. The night carried on as Leon’s footsteps grew distant and then faded to nothing. Nearly a full hour of exploration ticked by and still, he couldn’t hear anything save for forest frogs croaking, birds cawing, owls hooting, and the gentle summer breeze brushing past him. Tired, and almost ready to collapse, Raihan was more eager to admit Leon might have been right. There had been no trace of a witch within Hammarlocke’s borders. No doubt the phenomenon was due to sickness or something else that had been ruled out.

* * *

It was time to return...and time to go track down Leon. Raihan had every expectation that the man was lost somewhere, possibly cowering in a hollowed trunk from a pack of zigzagoon having mistaken them for something fearful. Weighed down with defeat, Raihan gripped around his lance and turned to begin backtracking. “We’re being sent out on wild goose chases just to ease the minds of the villagers,” he muttered to himself. “It can’t continue like this. Eventually, the kingdom will start looking for scapegoats if the real cause isn’t discovered.”

The wind picked up just slightly, causing the trees around to shake. Leafs trickled, fluttered, and spun as they dropped from their branches. The lancer’s dreads swayed behind him as the breeze became a sudden guest. “I’ll have to advise the sick be reexamined and perhaps the villagers can be convinced to- “A handful of leaves descended atop Raihan's head, even flying into his open mouth. He cursed as he spat, dropping his spear and the lantern as he did so to scrap the bitter taste off his tongue. Annoyed more than ever, he groaned, grinding his teeth together before letting out a swift exhale through his nose.

 _Where did my lance go,_ he thought as he knelt to feel his way through the grass. As he stood up with his weapon, a ringing chimed in his ears. It was faint, but Raihan was certain of what he heard. A slow yet luring tune was being played. The elongated heavy sounds, the power vibration that drummed in his ear as he followed it- a fiddle was being played nearby. Yet by who, and so deep in the woods? Although Raihan saw nothing particularly wrong, it _was_ peculiar. 

He ran, following the path further ahead until he heard the sound of the riverbank, water rushing downstream, cliffs rising around him. The sounds grew louder, more enchanting. It was a string instrument he heard. Raihan kept moving, not aware that his casual walk had turned into a sprint, racing for the edge of the woods until he finally reached the bank. A large waterfall came into view. Mist surrounded the area, sending a damp chill over the dragoon’s body and he panted from atop the riverbank.

A figure was perched on the rocks at the fall’s base, seemingly unaware of Raihan’s presence. As he continued playing the trees around began to shake, branches rattled, leaves flurried about in the wind.

Raihan remained on the riverbank’s edge, watching the other with eyes wide and mouth agape slightly, mesmerized by the scene~ by the one-man symphony being played before him. Cyan eyes honed in, squinting to try and see through the fog to try and better marvel at the silhouette on the rocks. As the music faded away their eyes met. Slowly, hesitantly, the dragoon set down his spear so that he could clap firmly.

Neither of them could find the strength to speak, never mind the river between them. The figure’s green eyes pierced from the mist, staring daggers at Raihan, yet still, neither of them made any move to depart. The bow was raised back to the violin and with a swift, sharp strike across the strings, a high note cut through the atmosphere. The mist dispersed to reveal the musician.

Pale skin glowed under the light of the moon, reflected off the water’s surface revealing them to be nude. Moisture dripped from their skin, and long black and white hair fell across their body, covering them. There was an aura about him as he paced slowly to the edge of the rock he stood on, staring Raihan down. His lips hardly moved as he spoke. “You can hear it? You hear the music?”

The sight caught him by surprise, seeing someone playing the violin in such a way. Yet still, Raihan held any tension in his gut and exhaled smoothly before sticking his spear into the ground. “Don’t stop, now! Come on, just one more!”

Again, the musician stared daggers at Raihan before raising his fiddle to his chin and began anew. As soon as he started playing the entire forest came alive around them. Crickets began to chirp and the trees rattled in the wind. Yet Raihan took no notice, ears only able to hear the melody being played for him. He approached the edge of the river and sat down, allowing the music to rejuvenate his spirits until the very end.

The musician observed Raihan for a moment after he finished playing and stepped down from the rock. Yet, he did not sink into the water. Ripples spread from his feet wherever he stepped, walking across the river’s surface as he approached the dragoon. His grip tightened around his instrument as he remained on the water, keeping a distance between them. “Who are you, exactly? How is it you can hear me?”

Raihan just looked out to him with raised brows, leaning back with his arms spread out behind him. “Huh? What- you just...started playing and I heard you. Why wouldn’t I be able to? While I’m at it- what are you doing out here? It’s not safe and~ why are you naked?! Aren’t you cold?” It hadn’t been until the man was so close to him that Raihan saw the other wasn’t shaking despite being drenched. “Are you a hermit wizard or something?”

“Humans should not be able to hear any song I play. They should hear the wind, the water, or forest dwellers,” he said as he pointed his bow at the dragoon.

Again, Raihan raised a bow, hardly shifting his position. If his company was trying to come across as threatening then he wasn’t about to flinch for it. “You say that as if you _aren’t_ human.”

His eyes narrowed, and his hand lowered for a second.

“So what are you if not human? Can I at least get a name? Come on!”

There was a brief silence that felt prolonged. The river flowed on, water crashing against the rocks around the bank. “...Piers.”

“I’m Raihan. A dragoon and dragon tamer of Hammarlocke. Nice to meet you, Piers! Now let’s see...if you won’t tell me then I’ll just have to guess. You’re not human but...you control music and you're a water-being. Hmmm...” He brought a hand to cup around his chin, looking Piers up and down for a moment. “Wait- are you a siren?! Did your music bewitch me or something?!” Concerned for a moment, his hand reached for his spear.

“Certainly not!” Pier’s demeanor hardly changed as he raised his bow and began strumming softly, playing just a few notes while tuning his fiddle. “There is no such thing as a male siren. Even if there were, sirens live at sea and lure sailors to their death with their voice!”

“Well then what are you? Answer me already! No one is even supposed to be out here! The whole kingdom is on a witch hunt. So unless you’re what we’ve been looking for then it might be best for you to put your clothes on and go home!”

Piers only glanced up at Raihan and then continued playing. “This _is_ my home. Now if you’re finished, leave me be and go back to your hunt if it’s so important.”

“The hell’d you’d just say?” Raihan jumped to his feet and grabbed his spear as well as a Pokeball on his belt, readying himself. “This isn’t the time for games. Get out of the water right now or else I’m coming in after you! Ya hear? I’m not messing wi- “

“Raihan?! RAIHAN IS THAT YOU?” 

A familiar voice thundered. Behind him, coming from the forest thicket, someone was heading right for them and fast, panting and tumbling face-first into the dirt. Twigs snapped as they rolled over, brushing themselves off. Raihan’s attention was taken away from Piers to see Leon lying down on the ground. Charmeleon slowly emerged right after, holding his tail out in front of him. 

“Oof, ugh. Raihan...hey. Glad I finally found you,” Leon panted as he picked himself back up. “Who were you talking to, anyway?”

“What do you mean? I’m trying to get this guy here to…” When he looked back at the river there wasn’t anyone in sight. Only the circles of gentle ripples and bubbles spouted from where Piers had been standing.

“Some imaginary friend of yours? A legendary pokemon, perhaps?” Leon chuckled as he rested an elbow on Raihan’s shoulder. “No one’s here but us.”

“What? No! I saw it. There was this guy and he was naked and-” he spoke in a sporadic, hysterical fashion, looking back and forth between Leon and the river as he pointed his lance about. “He was standing right on those rocks and playing music- a fiddle- and then he was walking on the water and he just...he…”

“...and what?”

“....” Raihan was at a loss for anything else to say.

“Well, I haven’t been hearing anything but the hoothoots this evening. Maybe you should have your eyes checked. Visit the healing tent when we get back to make sure you weren’t cursed or something, alright?”

“Stop messing around! I know what I saw!”

“A naked man playing the violin while walking on water?” It sounded even more absurd when it came out of Leon’s mouth, even more so with his arms crossed over his chest. “That’s still hardly threatening; more bizarre than anything else.”

“I’m telling you, he was real!” Raihan was becoming exasperated. “I heard his music and followed it here!”

Caught up in their argument, neither of them noticed Charmeleon trotting to the river bank’s edge, staring at the waterfall. He sniffed the air, scanning the area as if trying to hone in on something unseen. “Chaaaar,” he breathed.

“Well right now I wish you’d follow _me back to the castle!”_ Leon shook his head and sighed for a moment. “Come on. It’s late and we’re both tired, aren’t we? Even if it was real this guy just sounds like a weirdo and that’s not what we’re looking for.” He looked behind him towards the forest trail and then immediately spun back around, spotting his companion close to the water.

“H-HEY! Charmeleon! Get back here! Don’t go too close to the water like that! It’s dangerous!” No further thought was needed for him to dart over and pull the other away until they were a safe distance away from the bank. Yet, the minute he let go Charmeleon only scurried back, sniffing out the air. “Char! Chaaaarr!” he roared softly.

“What’s gotten into him?” Raihan asked, a little perplexed.

“Don’t know. Maybe he just senses danger.” Leon laughed for a second. “Maybe he can sense your fiddler closeby!”

“Stop doubting me! I’m telling you, Leon, he’s real!”

“Look, let’s just get going. It’ll be daybreak soon and we’re going to be late. I want a drink more than anything else right now.” Leon was determined, taking the first step to lead everyone home. “Charmeleon! We’re leaving. Come!”

It was unsettling for Raihan, taking one last pan over the waterfall and rocks before he turned to follow Leon and Charmeleon back into the forest. He was gritting his teeth, one hand curled into a fist and the other gripping tight around his lance as they walked. “What was all that? Did I imagine it all?” he thought. 

The wind picked up, sending a refreshing breeze over them both.

Raihan’s ear twitched and his attention was immediately snatched, his head turning back toward down the trail. He could hear it again- the sweet music from earlier only now being played on a different instrument. The dragon's breath became short, his heart skipping a beat as he was unsure how to respond. “Leon!” he called forward. “Do you hear anything?”

Leon looked back with an annoyed, pouty expression on his face. “Hear what?” He paused to focus, humoring his friend with a moment to at least try to listen. “All I hear is the wind! Com’on, Raihan. You must have hit your head or something.” Another step and Leon tumbled to the forest floor, tripping. He had found the lantern Raihan had dropped.


	2. River Symphony

Five days.

That’s how much time had passed since Raihan’s encounter at the forest spring. Five days he had been on guard duty, searching the woods for the supposed “witch” causing sickness throughout the kingdom. Five nights he had detoured to the spring, calling out for the musician, only to hear the echoes of the water, crashing from the glass against the rocks. Ever since hearing Piers’s music Raihan had been unable to get the soothing melody out of his ears. He could still remember it so clearly as if fiddler was living inside his very ear. The melancholy sounds ripped through his nerves with a sharp, anxious sensation despite how smooth the image of Piers playing flashed in his head every second. 

Raihan was alone in this experience.

* * *

On the sixth day, he rested, and then Raihan was back on the witchhunts.

“A whole week of this, and still nothing. You’d think people would just learn to stay indoors and avoid each other until we figure out the cause of all this, at the very least,” Leon whined as he followed Charmeleon through the woods like the previous nights. It had been a tiring effort, discovering nothing beyond a few wild berry bushes and a nesting ground for a colony of impidimps and morgrems. Unless the entire kingdom would believe the scapegoat of trickery magic then it had been doubted worth reporting.

“There isn’t much we can do about it now.” Raihan was treading slowly behind Leon with a lantern in hand, keeping his eyes, or more so his _ears_ perked up in case of anything. A whole week later, and he was still fixated on those sounds, on the man who had been playing it. Yet, now that time had passed he was beginning to doubt himself. Music hadn’t been heard in the forest ever since. The waterfall remained as deserted as ever. Maybe it had been his imagination or a dream. 

He sighed momentarily, jabbing his spear into the dirt as he walked. He was gritting his teeth. Just as he thought it was impossible, Raihan’s ears twitched, causing his head to turn. A noise plucked and chimed through the air. 

“Hey~ you hear that? Man, something must be up with the water! You can hear the Magikarp splashing around like crazy!” And one could.

Just as Leon had said, when Raihan dialed his ears to focus, he could hear the sound of Karp, huffing and splashing from the river close by in a mad frenzy. The tune that played in his ear- was there a correlation between them? “You hear that?” he asked sternly.

“The Magikarp? I mean, how could I not? They’re pretty excited if you couldn’t tell.”

It was happening again. Someone was playing music, and only Raihan could hear it. He wouldn’t waste this opportunity to confirm his suspicion.

“Where are you headed? Raihan? Aren’t we supposed to stick together?” Leon called out as Raihan began heading in a different direction. “Or do you want us to search a different area?”

“You said so last time we were paired up, didn’t you? We can cover more ground this way! Go on ahead with me!” No time was spared. Raihan charged ahead without looking back.

* * *

He had almost memorized the way to the falls. However, having the music and the sound of the karps guiding him, Raihan made it faster than he had any previous night. His eyes were bright in the reflected light from the water’s surface. Lips trembled lightly as he stood on the river bank where he had been just a few days ago, gazing out over the river towards the rocks at the base of the falls.

Piers was there, sitting down this time, legs stretched out in front of him. Between them was none other than the source of the pleasant music he had heard. The musician’s fingers smoothly ran along and plucked at the strings of a harp that was almost taller than he was when sitting. With each charming note resounding from him, it was as if the river was alive, just as the woods had moved for his fiddle. Karps sprang and splashed around the rocks, one after the other as if risking life out of the water to better attend this musician’s performance.

Raihan sank from the banks to the sandy spot below, yet still dared not to venture into the waters. He planted his spear into the sand and watched, listened, and then applauded when Piers finally slowed to a pause and then reclined. Plated metal and mail clinked together as he clapped. “Bravo,” he called out to the other. 

When their eyes connected they shared a moment of stunned silence. Piers slowly stood, naked. His skin glowed against the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water. Bright eyes pierced through the evening dew of the falls.

“I’ve been curious when I’d hear you play again. Please, come closer. I mean no harm!”

Piers didn’t say a word but slowly descended from the rocks. He walked across the water with his harp tucked under his arm. How? How was he able to just tread across the water like it was a solid surface. Raihan still had no idea, unless Piers was some kind of bizarre hermit bard. It would at least explain the man’s lack of clothing. When he was but a few paces away from the shore, he stopped. Their eyes connected once again, not a word being offered from Piers.

The dragoon just blinked, staring at him until it was clear Piers was waiting on _him_ to speak first. “Erh- um, hello.”

“Why are you here?” Pier’s voice had been stern, almost demanding.

“I just followed the sound of your music and- “

“How is it you can hear me? Human ears are not capable of hearing the songs of a fossegrimen, even if one desired it.”

“W-what? Hold on a sec,” he reared back slightly, holding his hands up to try and calm his company. What did you say? A fo-foss...fossegrimen?” He struggled to get the word out, having not heard it before. “Is that- are you not human?”

Piers nodded his head. “The question is...are you?”

Raihan was silent for a moment. “Of course I am! Both my parents are. So why wouldn’t I be?”

Once again, no response. Piers’s eyes remained fixated on Raihan, scanning him as if he was growing horns on his head.

Raihan felt awkward, just standing there in the sand on the receiving end of such a threatening stare. His eyes traced over their surroundings, across the waters, and along the rocks, and then honed in on the pile of Magikarp, waggling about. “Um...you hungry?” he asked as he looked back at Piers. “I mean...you got all those fish there. I could build a fire.” Maybe it wasn’t the best way to break the tension, but- 

To Raihan’s surprise, Piers’s face slowly softened and then he nodded. “Very well. If dinner is being offered then I won’t refuse,” he said. The grim glided across the water to collect the small pile of gasping Karp.

A fire was built in the sand from gathered sticks and dry leaves. With a little help from his lantern, it had been easy to get one going big enough to roast fish over. Four karps were impaled on a stick each, propped up against a stone over the open flames. Smoke hazed around them. The wood crackled and snapped as lake water dripped and sizzled from the fishes’ scales. Before long, a nice smoky, salty scent wafted through the air around where the two were sitting.

Piers eyed Raihan and the roasting Karp impatiently as his fingers continuously tightened their hold around his harp, plucking a string every so often. Up close Raihan could finally see more to him than just his pale skin or bright eyes. The man’s nails were, in fact, claws, dirty with sand, chipped and cracked in some places, but with points nonetheless. Whenever he tugged his lip back sharp teeth could be made out, and the man’s hair was so heavy from the water that it was down, lapping over his thighs. The way he sat, slouching and clawing at his instrument showed how anxious and impatient he was becoming, yet he just kept staring at the fish as it roasted.

It was true. Whatever Piers was- it wasn’t human.

“Something wrong?” Raihan finally asked, unable to stand the silence any further.

No response. Instead, Piers reached over to one of the barely cooked Magikarp and pulled it from the smoky fire circle, pricking his claws into it as its tail fin twitched.

“H-Hey! It’s not ready! It’s only been a few seconds!”

Fangs snapped around it, breaking the hard exterior of scales like it was nothing. Bones cracked and blood splashed. It dripped from Pier’s jaw and down his chin. He tore into the fish’s flesh and devoured it as though he were still alone, disregarding Raihan staring at him. His tongue licked over his lips and around his cheeks. The point of his tongue helped to scoop loose meat and flesh as it dangled from the Karp’s exposed bones.

Raihan was speechless, watching Piers devour the Magikarp. Despite the carnage, the man sitting across from him remained cool. Magikarp was known for their strong, dense scales that were difficult to remove. Yet Piers was crunching right through them using only his teeth, effortlessly; like it was completely normal for him. The dragoon just blinked, hesitant to reach out and take one of the fish for himself. “If you were that hungry...erh-”

Piers shot a look at him that made Raihan freeze.

“Erh, what exactly did you say you were again?”

“A fossegrimen,” he answered sternly after licking the last bit of blood that had spilled down his arm. Piers appeared to have calmed down after having an appetizer.

“A fossegrimen...a grim. What exactly is that? I’m not all that savvy with things outside of dragons or fairies.”

It should come as no surprise that Piers didn’t respond right away, but instead reached for his harp and began to strum along, using his nails as picks. “You asked if I was a siren last time. Remember? Think of me like a siren, only harmless.”

“Why should I trust you? How do I know you won’t try to drown me?”

“I’m sitting here on dry land with you, aren’t I?” he asked as he kept playing. “Tho we are relatives, fossegrimen are docile towards humans. I was born here in this river and I’ll die here, playing my music for those who can hear it.” Another fish was had, this time one that was fully cooked. Still, instead of peeling the skin from it, Piers sank every fang into it. Not a shard of bone or scale went to waste with him.

However, Raihan picked at it, trying to get as clean of a meaty bite as possible until Piers moved closer to him and extended his harp out for the other to take.

“Thank you. It was delicious. Now, the deal is struck, shall we begin?”

The dragoon blinked, confused as he looked down at the harp. “Is this a gift for me?”

A small laugh. “No. I would never part with any of my instruments.” Slowly, his gaze was brought up to meet Raihan in the eye. “You’re a dumb one, aren’t you? I’m offering to teach you how to play.”

Raihan leaned away slightly and raised a brow. “Wh-what? Why- why would you- sorry! I must have missed something. Why the hell are you trying to teach me to play the harp?”

“It comes with the territory. Usually, those who offer food to a grim is someone who wishes to learn their musical capabilities.” Once again, he extended his harp for Raihan to hold.

“Um...I was jus’ being nice. Not a ‘musicale’ kind of guy. Why don’t you just play me another song, huh? I like hearing you.”

Once again, Piers didn’t respond. He only scanned Raihan before slowly retrieving his instrument and gave a shallow nod. His nails began to pluck away at harp strings, ringing in a pleasant, soft tune. At the same time, the waterfall became quieter, water falling slower. Ripples in the river bubbled and the faint sound of splashing could be heard. The fish still in the water were responding to Piers’s music. No- the entire forest was, and yet Piers continued playing like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“You’re a strange one,” he muttered as he continued playing. “Who are you, exactly?”

Raihan’s attention was grabbed once again. “I’m Raihan. A dragoon and dragon rider for Hammarlocke. I thought I had told you last time,” he said with his mouth full as he tore away fresh meat for the Karp’s bone in his hand.

“No. That’s not what I meant. Tell me, Raihan. Where are you from.”

“Here! I don’t understand what you’re getting at. I was born in Hammarlocke and I’ve lived there my whole life. I was trained in the royal guard ever since boyhood!”

Piers continued playing, not once looking up at Raihan. “And?”

“Well...I don’t know what else to say. My parents were kind people- bakers. Though, they said I wasn’t a planned child. They never explained it. Something about magic beans and an old witch’s curse. They moved here shortly after I was born, but father refused to talk about it much beyond that, and mother...well, father said she died giving birth to me.”

The mood shifted, as did the tune. Piers’s fingers slowed and went for thicker strings. The music drifted into a bleaker number, similar to the one he had played on his fiddle. “I see…”

“B-but I mean- everything was still good. I met my best mate, Leon when we were training together. He ended up getting promoted to beast tamer and I was selected to be a dragon rider! Well...more like the dragons selected me! Hehe, no one could explain it but a lot of times the wyverns and dragon pokemon we take care of would flock to me and obey me, sometimes with more loyalty than even our teachers!”

Finally, the grim’s song came to an end, and the forest slowly returned to normal. The waterfall crashed against the rocks. Rapids collided in the river. The fish simmered down, and Piers just gazed upon Raihan with a small, modest smile across his lips. “Fascinating,” was all he said.

The fire was dying, and the last remaining fish was burned. Piers took it and devoured it just as he had the previous two. “It is time to go,” he declared before standing up.

“What? Wait a second! We’ve hardly spoken. You can’t just decide that! H-hey!”

Piers was already stepping back across the water, harp in hand, slowly, his back turned to Raihan. “I don’t like leaving the water for long. Please, return next week. I only ask that you come alone.”

“Aren’t you listening?! I said to hold on! I’m not finished speaking. Just-” but it didn’t matter. As Raihan charged into the water, fully armored, Piers strummed across his harp. Immediately a thick fog shrouded the area. The river became violent, hurling waters at the dragoon, and sent him back towards the sandy river bank. He landed on his back, crashing into the fire pit.

Raihan coughed and spat river water as he pulled himself up, tossing off his helmet and reaching around for his spear...that was now nowhere to be found. Nor was there anyone there. Piers had vanished into the mist. He was alone, and just like last time all there was to hear was the sound of the river, cutting from the forest.


	3. Yuletide Carols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is meant to be a Holiday Special. Currently, it's non-canon to the rest of the story, but if I had to place it somewhere then I guess it would be sometime between chapters 2 and 3. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Happy Holidays, everyone! <3

The snow crushed under Raihan’s boots as he stomped through the woods. He breathed slowly, but heavily. His breath huffed out in a thick fog as it seeped from behind his scarf. The summer had come and gone, and so had autumn, and now Hammarlocke was a frozen wonderland, blanketed in white as far as the eye could see. Sunlight reflected off white fields as if they glowed. The trees were naked, save for the rich pine, powdered from roots to tip in snow.

Raihan didn’t have guard duty that evening, which was why he was choosing to venture out during the daytime for once. A smile was on his lips behind his scarf despite his shaking body and hunched figure as he made his way to the usual spot at the base of the falls. Flurries made a gentle, decorative descent upon the river which was frozen over. The falls had become nothing but outstretched icicles - discolored gray thanks to the collected layers of dirty within the ice. He shook his head, thinking to himself how ugly it looked. “Winter can’t be beautiful all the time, can’t it?” he asked himself.

It was a struggle to keep straight with his satchel offsetting his balancing and the cold biting into his bones, making him hunch forward as he continued to the river’s edge like always. “Heeeey, come on out, now!” he called. “Don’t tell me you sleep for the whole day. I got a little surprise for yuh!”

The ice ruptured. Cracks outstretched to the riverbank as segments of the river rocked up and down to the force of the water flowing underneath. Raihan wasn’t fazed in the slightest. In fact, he smirked as he pulled his scarf from his face. “Wakey wakey!” he said to himself. His ears twitched, and his smile grew brighter, showing his teeth. There was a cheerful strum of violin strings around him. “Haven’t heard this one before…”

As water seeped from the cracks in the ice, so did a mist overtake the area. When the music ceased, the mist dispersed and suddenly Piers was there, standing on the ice, naked and lowering his fiddle from his shoulder. “Dramatic as ever,” Raihan commented as he clapped his hands. “Quite rare that you ever play any of the classics. Thought you only played your own music?”

When Piers opened his eyes they were striking. The bright winter scenery enhanced the green glow to them. He pursed his lips into a slight frown and stepped closer, slowly. “Who do you think wrote those old carols centuries ago? Do tell me, Sir Raihan.” His feet were beaten pink from the chill of the river ice, yet he stood as tall and moved with all the grace as he had in the summer. “It was the grim who wrote them, and then taught them to men whom we deemed worthy of learning,” continued.

“Did your kind invent all music?” Raihan teased as he shook his head again. “Com’ere. I got something special for you today.”

“Was it so special that you had to wake me up in the middle of the day? True, sleep is not needed for me, but rest is still enjoyed.” Piers halted a few paces from Raihan, as always not leaving the territory of the river, even when it was frozen.

“I just thought I’d come see you since I don’t have guard duty this evening. Come, why don’t you take a walk with me? Let me show you the woods, if only for a little while.”

“I cannot leave my domain, Raihan,” he responded immediately. Despite his protest, Piers stepped closer until he was at the edge of banks. Always so hesitant to go any further than the shore.

“Well, ice is only frozen water, isn’t it? What if we blew snow from the forest to the river banks? Then you’d be connected back to the river no matter where you stepped!”

“A clever thought, but no. I will not allow it.” He readied himself to begin playing again, but as he struck the first cord, Raihan came sliding across the ice with his legs wobbling. Piers shifted, and slid sideways, dodging Raihan as he collapsed onto his face. “The ice  _ is  _ cracked, you know. One false slip and you could wind up being frozen underneath.”

“And you wouldn’t use your music to melt the ice and save me?” He said as he struggled to regain his balance and climb to his feet.

“Can’t do that,” he said sarcastically.

“Don’t lie to me. You’ve used it before to wash me ashore in the past. Surely you can save a drowning man.”

Piers didn’t respond so quickly but continued playing the ancient yuletide carol Raihan had praised earlier. “I comply with nature’s course. If you are meant to drown, then you will, unfortunately, be left to your frigid watery grave.”

Finally standing, Raihan shifted his weight and slid across the ice to meet Piers. His arm was extended out, holding something between his fingers: a dark, creamy, chocolate-coated truffle. He smirked when he saw his friend stop playing, confused and a little frightened and he forced the small confection into the other’s mouth. “Well, I comply with shutting your mouth with a bit o’ sweetness.”

It was a mess, watching Piers struggle against the truffle being forced into his mouth, and then trying to break it apart to be easy to swallow, but after a moment, he could see the look of shock and enjoyment in his eyes as he dropped his instrument. The bow and violin bounced against the ice, and like magic, melted into water on the spot. Raihan pulled his hand away and licked his own palm, getting a taste of leftover chocolate and Piers’ spit. “Heh, tasty,” he taunted before pulling out another truffle from his bag and popping it into his own mouth.

Piers coughed momentarily after swallowing took a few deep breaths. “Are you trying to poison me?” he hissed.

“Com’on, Piers! You of all people know what time of year it is! Yuletide isn’t just for carols and music. It means chocolates and confections of all kinds! Unless you want me to just cook you the same meal of roasted pidove, like every other night.”

“You came all the way out here and woke me up early to give me candies?”

“I can take them back if you want.” Raihan held out another for Piers to take, to which he did without another word. “Hah! Thought so.” Truffles. Peppermint bark. Chocolate yule log. Raihan and brought plenty for them to share, and a bottle of wine to go with it all. Together, they made their way back to the river bank and took their usual perch in the sand- well, snow, for it was winter. 

After a struggle, Raihan had managed to build a small fire, more for himself than Piers. As frigid as it was, Piers showed no sign of discomfort, and yet his cheeks still burned pink, fingers, and ears red. Every part of Piers’s body said he was developing hypothermia and would die if he wasn’t dressed properly, and yet the grim still played his fiddle as if everything was normal to him.

“Aren’t you cold?” Raihan finally asked while shivering, both arms huddled around his chest.

“Not in the slightest. Nature does not have the same effect on my kind as it does yours.”

“Then why are you red all over? You look as if you’re about to freeze!”

“I still can still feel the cold, and my body still reacts to it, but it isn’t much of a concern. Grims are connected to nature differently than humans. We’re able to sustain harsher conditions, and intense heat and cold are one of them. The winds might tickle me but they do not cut. Snow may kiss my skin, but it does not sting me. It’s probably hard for you to imagine, but I guess we should leave it to me to be more tolerant of extreme nature conditions than you.”

“Fine. Whatever you say, Piers.” He groaned before taking a swing from his wine glass which helped him to perk up quickly. “Gahhhh! Hey, if you’re going to keep playing carols, do you think you can sing?”

Piers blinked, slightly stunted, and halted his playing. “What?”

“Singing. You know. The song you’re playing right now! You know the words, don’t you?”

“Haven’t the slightest idea of what you’re talking about.” he tossed Raihan’s comment aside and continued playing.

“Whaaat? You mean you don’t know the words? What did- did we make that up ourselves? Hehe- well I can’t sing very well but lemme tell yuh what I mean!”

_ Hark! how the bells _

_ Sweet silver bells _

_ All seem to say _

_ "Throw cares away." _

_ Yuletide is here _

_ Bringing good cheer _

_ To young and old _

_ Meek and the bold _

His voice was off pitch, out of tune, and overall...a travesty to any poor soul whose ears were in range. Raihan was a talented dragoon and a natural dragon rider, but a bard he certainly was not meant to be. Nevertheless, he continued on, joyfully singing to Piers’s music and unaware of fuming annoyance within the grim that would bubble into outburst.

_ Ding, dong, ding, dong _

_ That is their song _

_ With joyful ring _

_ All caroling _

_ One seems to hear _

_ Words of good cheer _

_ From ev'rywhere _

_ Filling the air _

Unable to take it any further, Piers stopped playing, seething through his teeth. “Just shut up, already! Your voice is horrid!” he lashed out as he set aside his bow and hurled a chunk of snow at Raihan’s face. “Nature had granted you with a dragon’s ears, but not a siren’s voice,” he continued. In a huff, Piers picked his bow back up and struck a few cords before finding the notes and rhythm to continue where he left off. 

As Raihan wiped the snow from himself, Piers shut his eyes and coughed to clear his throat. After hesitation, his voice slipped from his throat. Shy at first, but as the lines carried on, the grim collected his confidence, and his spirit lifted. He began to play louder and his voice rang out, powerful and clear.

_ Oh how they pound _

_ Raising the sound _

_ O'er hill and dale _

_ Telling their tale _

_ Joyf'ly they ring _

_ While people sing _

_ Songs of good cheer _

_ Yuletide is here _

_ Merry, merry, merry, merry Yuletide _

_ Merry, merry, merry, merry Yuletide _

Raihan could only sit and listen, hunched forward with his elbows on his knees. He smiled at Piers, watching as he continued with his eyes closed. There was a sparkle in his own stare, and softness in his gaze. Seconds ago he had complained about the cold, yet now his body felt warm, his head foggy with joy.

_ On, on they send _

_ On without end _

_ Their joyful tone _

_ To ev'ry home _

When Piers downplayed his tune, and slowed to a quiet stopping point, Raihan leaned back on the log he was sitting on and finished off the remainder of his wine glass. “Ahhhh! That was fantastic,” he said, seemingly talking about his drink. “And here I thought you said you couldn’t sing. Why are you hiding pipes like that, huh?”

“It’s not in my nature. My duty is to play music so that nature may continue on its course. It is the duty of the sirens to sing and tempt the hearts of man.”

“And yet, nature gave you the voice to do all the same,” Raihan shocked his head with a smile. “Just like how it gave me the ears to hear you, didn’t it?”

Piers was silent, pausing to take a sip from his glass. “I suppose that is a possibility, yes.” In thought, Piers had begun to weave his fingers through his long, tangled black and white hair which draped over his frontal, acting like a blanket. He was silent, thereafter.

Raihan stood from the log and dusted his hands off before holding them out for Piers to take. “Come on. The sun is still out, so let’s have a bit o’ fun.”

Piers raised a brow and frowned, looking back and forth between Raihan’s hands and his face. “Did you not hear me earlier? I can’t leave the river.”

“So we won’t. Com’on. The ice is still pretty thick, isn’t it? So let’s slide around! Go ice skating.”

“That sounds like a stupid idea. Ice is already cracked. You could fall in.”

“Then I’ll just have to make sure I don’t, won’t I?”

Not accepting anything else for an answer, Raihan pulled Piers to his feet, overpowering him. He forced the other back towards the frozen river, nearly tumbling over as he did so. The two joined hands, spinning in a circle together until Raihan pulled the other in close, creating a disturbance in their momentum. The dragoon smiled down at the grim, watching him wobble and flail about until he could find a collective balance with Raihan.

“That’s it. Now, just hold my hand and take my lead...1! 2!” They were off. The two were moving side by side, sliding around on the river ice, slowly. Piers had his eyes on the ice and his feet, trying to keep track of his own movements while Raihan had his eyes on Piers the whole time. To and fro - they went around in a small circle and across the river, dodging the cracks or sliding right over them. With the hours passing, they each grew more confident to a point of disregarding any possible hazard.

“Isn’t this great, mate?” Raihan said with cheer in his voice. “A real Yuletide. Time with friends, eating sweets, caroling, ice skating- Man, Piers, I’ll be sure to bring leftovers of Yuletide dinner if you want. It won’t be 100% fresh, but I’m sure it’ll taste great all the same for y- OHHHHH!”

Losing balance, Raihan toppled over and pulled Piers down with him. They crashed into the ice with a heavy thud,the dragoon landing on his back and feeling the weight the other collapse onto him shortly after. Not once had either of them let go of the other’s hand, not until they skidded to a stop. They lay there, on the ice, Raihan supporting Piers over him. The other was shaking- trembling like a frightened animal of sorts. His face was pressed against Raihan’s chest.

He was confused and concerned. “Piers? Buddy?”

No response.

“It’s alright, mate. Just a few scrapes on my end, but you seem to be fine. Just a little fall. We can get back up.”

Still nothing. Piers just kept shaking, and then… “Happy Yule, Raihan,” he muttered.

It was then that Raihan understood.

He sighed, smiling, and put his arms around Piers’s body, holding him close on top of him. The other’s hair was tangled all over both of their bodies and spilling across the ice as he continued to shake in the dragoon’s embrace. It was like Piers had said earlier. His body reacted normally. It trembled and shook, his skin turned red, and his hair could become a mess, yet his touch remained warm, his flesh still scarless, and beautiful.

While there was joy in his gifts and his existence as a fossegrimen, it also came with a curse. Piers still felt like any other creature, inside and out. He had to endure loneliness, sorrow, isolation, and sadness like anyone else. How long had he been here in this river without anyone to hear him play? How my rivers had he lived in before this where he had been driven out by the greed of mankind?

Raihan didn’t have those answers. But he had an idea of what Piers was thinking, now. He sighed once more as he stroked the back of the other’s head.

“Happy Yuletide, Piers.”


	4. Wind Legato

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had thought I'd take much longer to write this chapter even though I knew it'd be a tad shorter than the previous two. After I sat down I just...didn't stop. It really wrote itself this time so enjoy the early release. Going forward, when I "upload" the next chapter's release date I'll be including the first 500 words as a preview.

He was starting to like the way the sand crunched under his iron boots as he sank into the riverbank. Raihan welcomed the crashing water that echoed as he removed his helmet and shook his hair out, feeling the humid, yet cool air kiss his face, moist with sweat. “Come on out, now. I know you’re here,” he called out to his lonely surroundings. 

No response.

No matter. Raihan wasn’t about to turn and leave with such a minimal effort this time. He grunted softly as he thrust his lance into the sand, leaving it standing upright, and began to remove the remainder of his armor. First, his gauntlets and then shoulder plates, arms, chest plate, boots, and all until he was stripped down to his trousers and chainmail. Each piece landed in the soggy river bank sands with a _thud_ or a _clank_ as they piled up. “See? No armor or weapon. I’m not about to harm you and I’m not going anywhere all night!”

Still nothing. Not a sound save for the waterfall and the mist hissing in the aftermath from its descent against the rocks.

Raihan scanned the area. He must have sounded like a madman, the way he was throwing his voice out when there wasn’t anyone present, but he wasn’t about to give up, just yet. He had every reason to believe that Piers was around here, listening and watching him. His friend was either waiting for the right reason to show himself or for Raihan to finally give up and leave. The dragoon stepped into the river, curling his toes at the slight sting from the icy waters. He winced but ventured forth until he was standing ankle-deep. “You know, if you summon up some Magikarp, I could cook us dinner again.”

The water stirred, ripples forming from nothing, and then a slight splash from something unseen.

Bingo. Raihan smiled in its direction. “And I’d be honored if I could hear you play again.” The water stirred. He shrugged, holding both hands up, open-palmed as he shook his head. “Seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it? A hot meal to hear another song? What do yuh say?”

With that, it seemed Raihan had Piers’s attention. The water bubbled and rippled until it almost seemed alive and violent. It streamed out from the surface, like a giant wave, circling the surrounding area and collided against the rocky shallows. The tide exploded, casting power, but a short torrent of rain over Raihan and there he was. The fossegrimen was standing only a few meters away from the dragoon on the water’s surface. A long, twinkling silver flute was in hand, held up to his lips. He blew softly, slowly, creating a smooth flow of music.

The falls slowed to a halt. Droplets were suspended in midair like stars. Raihan playfully tapped one with the tip of his finger and watched as the water seeped into his naked skin. He even playfully licked a few right out of the air. “Heh~ tasty work yuh do here, Piers. This your way of bringing the drinks for, both of us? You didn’t seem like the kind of guy to get so worked up over a meal.”

He didn’t say anything at first. Piers only stared at Raihan as he lowered a flute from his lips. His eyes narrowed to thin lines, yet there wasn’t the slightest disturbance on his face. He stepped forward, palms of his feet connecting with the surface of the river with a soft splash. “Have you ever wondered why that is? We grims often eat our food raw, and quickly to avoid being discovered by the few blessed by whichever means allow them to hear our music. God forbid anyone to hear us and come looking. It’s rare to enjoy something hot, especially something other than fish.”

“Well if I had known that then I would have brought some raw poultry or beef from the village market to roast for you.” Raihan stepped back, not once turning his gaze from Piers. He moved slowly as he felt his way from the river back to the bank. “I thought no one was supposed to ever be able to hear yuh, anyway? Why so much precaution? Hell, surely you could leave this river if you wanted, right?”

He reached the bank, noted when the back of his heel collided against a piece of his armor. A sharp pain exploded in his foot. He held his poker face, trying not to allude Piers’s attention away from his question.

Once again, Piers only went as far as but a few paces from where the water ended. “It is in our nature to take precaution. Should someone terrible find us, then it could prove to be fatal. Maybe even warrant abandoning our domain.”

“Well then I’ll count myself lucky that you’re still here after three weeks of me visiting yuh,” he said with a slight chuckle.

“Why is it that you return as often as you do? You’ve already said you do not play an instrument of your own. You’ve nothing to gain from me.”

“Not true,” Raihan said as he finally began gathering sticks for a fire. Thanks to Piers’s little show it was proving hard to find any that were soaked and covered in sand. For a moment he thought to venture into the woods to gather fresh dry ones. It’d probably be best. “I told you earlier, didn’t I? I don’t want anything from you other than to hear you play another song like last time.”

Piers remained silent, only watching Raihan’s backside as he continued collecting wood for a fire. Without any response, he brought his flute back up to his lips and began to play. The winds began to stir and trees shook. As the grim’s fingers picked and pressed quickly across his flute the warm summer breeze swiftly climbed to a howling torrent until Raihan was knocked onto his bottom. The wind sliced over his skin, stinging him, preventing him from opening his eyes unless he faced his back towards the wind.

What happened next Raihan thought was a mad hallucination. Pidoves. A small flock of them came flying out of the trees, low to the ground at them. They were following the wind’s pull and then suddenly~ His eyes widened in disbelief as the same birds dived straight into the river around Piers. The grim immediately dropped his flute into the water and all the magic surrounding them ceased. Water pelted down on the surrounding area. The falls collided once again into the river, and rapids screeched. Piers grabbed the birds in his claws, holding them tightly in the water as they violently shook about, wings beating and talons scraping and whatever they could find. Yet it was no use. Piers spared no mercy as he squeezed both birds around their necks, and snapped them both.

“Can you cook pheasant?” he asked as he stood, both Pidove dead in his grip.

Raihan could only stare at him in a moment of awe and silence before finally answering. “Yeah. Just let me get more wood.” What he had wouldn’t suffice for a fire.

* * *

Skinned and now roasting over an open fire, the two sat just as they had the previous week. This time, Piers was showing more patience instead of grabbing a half-cooked meal and devouring it, bones and all. They say in silence, each staring into the flames or watched as one of them rotated the stick that skewered both Pidoves.

“You…” Raihan had things in mind, but there was hesitation to ask what was really on his mind.

Piers looked up at him, waiting for him to finish. “Yes?”

“.....”

“Speak.”

“Sorry, erh~ It’s just...what you did earlier…”

“What about it?”

“Well um, you said earlier that humans can be dangerous to you but you just controlled half a flock of Pidove and drowned them. And last time you devoured a whole Magikarp, scales and all like it was as soft as bread. A normal human can’t bite into one unless they desire to lose all their teeth at once.”

“That is natural for someone like me. You see, our music controls and bends nature, depending on what instrument is played.”

“I guess that makes sense, but why can’t you fend off humans, then? Couldn’t you use music the same way? Hypnotize them and drown them? Or at the very least, fend them off, physically.”

Piers shook his head. “I cannot. Only sirens are capable of hypnotizing humans. Fossegrimen are different. We can control nature, but humans...they are different from birds or fish. They don’t flow like the water or blow wherever the winds take them like a cloud. They do not follow the laws of nature. They have a greater free will; ability to reason and defy logic.”

Raihan remained silent for a moment, rotating the birds once again. “What exactly does that make me, then?”

“It means there is something within you that is beyond human. A distant connection with the natural world that enables you to see and hear me when I play, yet you remain unaffected by it all the same. How curious.”

“So not even you know the full truth? Heh, guess I’m just special. Still, don’t you get tired of being invisible all the time? I mean, you play so many instruments, and good, too! Don’t you want others to hear it?”

The question caught Piers a little by surprise. He had never been asked anything like that, before. Then again, Piers had been alone almost his entire life after his birth. His eyes slowly turned away as his thoughts drifted. The crackle of the fire, river waters, and chirping crickets were the only noises keeping the tension from choking Piers in the moment.

“Certainly,” he said with his lips thinly parted as he looked back, meeting Raihan’s eyes. “This river has been my home and my stage for nearly a century and you’re the first to wander over here.”

“Then why don’t you? Can’t you just disguise yourself? Shave your claws down and cover your gills? Hell, maybe if you wore clothes you could go into town like any other human. Then you could play in the streets and- oh well...no one would hear you even if you played, though…”

“That’s right. Blessed with phenomenal talent and yet only a lucky few can hear us. That is why many grims will pass their knowledge onto humans for something as simple as hot food. It almost has nothing to do with the bribe. It’s about the chance of their talent being heard through someone else. The quality of the meal just measures how badly they wish to learn.”

Raihan lowered his head, staring into the small fire between them. “I see…” He thought back to their chat from the previous week when Piers had attempted to teach him the harp. A small bit of melancholy and even guilt arose in his gut when he recalled having rejected the other’s offer. “Is that why you- I mean last week when you tried to…” his voice trailed off. His ears twitched and his gaze shot up when he heard Piers had begun blowing into his flute again. When had he...hadn’t he dropped it into the water, earlier? Then again, he _was_ magical.

A gentle breeze blew right past them. “It matters not. You declined in the end.”

“But what if I let you teach me? I mean...then everyone would hear your songs. I could learn even just one instrument and I could play whatever you teach me to everyone in town and then they’ll know and-”

“No.” His voice was stern. The music halted. Piers’s eyes leered at him as he shook his head, slightly. “Raihan...do you remember what I said about humans? They have their kind of free will. Truly a wretched thing you have, being able to turn against nature but it is also a gift. You chose to become a dragon rider, did you not?”

“Well, yeah but...I did that because I was the best at it. No one else could command dragon pokemon and wyverns as I could. So it just seemed nat- …” He froze, realizing what he was saying. It all clicked in his head.

“Seems that you’ve been following nature’s path for you just as needed,” Piers smirked at him as he began playing once more. “You have free will, Raihan. What you do with it...that is still always your choice. Following your heart, following natural law and instinct, neither is good nor evil. It is what you do with it that matters most. You’re just a lucky one where it would seem that both fate and choice aligned perfectly for you.”

“Piers…” Raihan couldn’t find any further words. Had his nostrils not flared by the sudden intrusion of smoke, Raihan would have let their dinner fall into the fire pit and burn black. Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off the man, not but a few meters away, sitting cross-legged on the shore of the bank, tooting away on his flute and making the wind tickle against his cheek. He was enchanted, watching him play. 

Piers began to slowly fade into a thin veil of mist. 

“W-wait! Hang on! Don’t leave. We haven’t eaten yet. I’m not done talking to you! Please, j-just-” He scurried to his feet. In a panic, Raihan accidentally knocked the Pidove into the fire pit for real this time, cursing as he immediately reached to salvage whatever meat wasn’t tainted by ashes and charred wood. Flames sparked, cinders quick to sting the palms of his hand. He dropped the birds back into the pit once more and fell back on his rear.

When he looked up Raihan saw the faint image of Piers vanish once again and then...nothing. The mist faded and he was alone, save for the forest breeze comforting him. “Dammit! HEY!” The dragoon pulled himself back to his feet and stepped over the fire pit into the shallow waters. “Get back here, dammit! You owe me a song!”

As if on-demand the air became filled with the playful, charming melody of Piers’s flute. Slough sweet, the tune carried a mocking tone to it. Yet the legato stretched on, smoothly as did the calming winds. Raihan gritted his teeth, yet slowly found himself soothed like a beast eased to rest with a lullaby.

A voice whispered to him. It was Piers. “You know...I’m quite happy playing for an audience of one. Return here once more, next week....”

Raihan didn’t respond. He only stood there, listening to the grim’s song until it ended. The wind died, and he felt empty, like a piece of him had been stolen. He looked down at his charred hand as he made his way back to his spear and armor. Once more, he looked at his wounds and blinked as he held them away from his body. His hands! Raihan’s eyes were wide. He could have sworn that he had burned himself. Raihan remembered the sting and the heat that had made him pull back away yet his skin looked as if it were completely healed. No soot or scar anywhere on his palms.

“What...what’s happening?” he whispered to himself. “Just...what am I?”


	5. Moonlight Nocturne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who waited patiently for over 3 months for this chapter. I've had a few personal issues spring up and as a result, this chapter was very difficult, and very personal to write. Chapter 5 will possibly be the final chapter unless it proves to be really long. Regardless, I think this will be the last update until some time in 2021.

Time and time again, Raihan had come to visit Piers in the spring during their evening hunts. And time and time again, piers would abruptly end their conversation to flee into the waters. This time, Raihan knew what would be coming but he had no intention to let it happen so easily. He had remembered what the other had told him last week and even brought food from the village. Spices. Red meat. Wine. He would charm Piers into staying for more than a few words if his life depended on him.

The dragoon was panting when he arrived at the falls, pleased to drop the cargo he had been carrying. He stripped himself of his armor like last time until he was down his small clothes and dashed into the river. It was like he was going mad, turning himself around in his search. “Where are you? Come on. Please! Piers, don’t play this game with me, again. I know you’re still-”

“What do you want?” Right behind him, he was standing on the water’s surface.

Raihan didn’t move. He didn’t even speak right away. He understood the heavy tone in Piers’s voice and could feel his gaze stab into his back. His host’s patience was already wearing thin. A heavy feeling sank in his gut, telling him that it would be best to turn around, leave the river, and let Piers be alone, but…

“I want you to stop running from me,” he forced out, choking.

“Oh…?” His hands moved slowly. The grim had a bow in his hand, which he tapped on the large instrument he supported in his other hand. A low note dragged out, making the water beneath his feet ripple.

“Please…. Please, Piers. I want to see you, again. I want to hear you play- to know more about you!”

Piers continued playing his cello as he moved across the water, circling Raihan, seeming not even moving his legs as he did so. “About me? Or about yourself?” When he stopped playing Piers teased Raihan, guiding him to look into his eyes. He pressed the tip of his bow under the edge of the dragoon’s chin. 

Raihan gulped. “Do you know more about me? Do you know things that I don’t?”

“No.”

“Then why did you ask?”

Piers pressed his bow against Raihan’s throat. “You didn’t answer my question. What do you truly want to know from me?”

Now Raihan was angry. He was clenching his teeth, hands balled into fists, and eyes staring directly into Piers’s own with a fire in them, almost like he was about to explode. “I just...I want…” he choked. The wheel in his head was spinning, but nothing was coming to mind. Yet he was convinced that if he gave the wrong answer then Piers would fade away into the mist like he had week after week.

His frustration bubbled, growing bigger and bigger until he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Raihan gripped around Piers’s bow and pulled from his hand. “I...don’t know what I want,” he said in a bitter huff. “All I know is that when I’m with you I begin to question and learn more about myself- about this world that goes against what I was taught when I was younger.”

The fossegrimen listened, and eased his bow from Raihan’s chin, but didn’t say anything, even as Raihan’s hand slid over the bow, reaching out to his own.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You can be honest.” Piers pulled himself from Raihan and began playing again. Unlike the previous times, the woods didn’t come to a screeching halt, but instead a slow, somber flow. Everything felt as though it were happening in slow motion, from the river’s flow to the even breeze against their skin.

Raihan gulped, yet the more he spoke the easier his thoughts manifested into a reality. “Every time I see you, I learn more about myself. Every time I hear your music the whole bows to it and the same goes for me! I can’t help it, Piers!” He looked into the other’s eyes as his face sunk into desperation. “I just want to spend more time with you, tonight. Please- I remember what you told me so I bought red meat and spices to cook for you, even!”

After a long silence, Piers spoke. “You are truly a most fascinating creature, Raihan.” He stopped playing his cello, and the world resumed normality. The river sounded as he stepped past his guest, heading for the shore. “I ask you here every night, playing a song to assure you I am here, yet you grow ever anxious that one day you will arrive to nothing save the clash of the rapids downstream, thirsty for my songs like a fish for water.”

Raihan followed behind him like a zombie. “You said you weren’t a siren,” he graveled as he ground his teeth together. “Said you didn’t hold power over humans.” He dragged himself to the shore where his belongings were. “What are you, Piers?” he muttered.

“You have asked this before, and I’m afraid I will give you the same answer. The question isn’t ‘what am I?’ but actually ‘what are you, Raihan?’”

“You think I’m not human?”

“I think you are _extraordinaire_.”

The two sat in silence. Piers perched on a stone and continued playing his cello while Raihan set up a fire, same as always, and began cooking.

* * *

“Piers?” Raihan spoke up, unable to stand the silence. He set his food down, having lost his appetite. 

“Yes?” He didn’t look up from his cello. He kept his eyes on his fingers, jumping over the strings as he continued into another song.

“Why don’t you leave this place? Come live in the city with me?”

“We both know I can’t do that.”

“Why not? We can make it work. I mean, you’ve left the river before. What’s stopping you from going into the woods and past the iron gates? Hell, we can disguise you to get in without anyone noticing you. I’ll even make sure you have a large bathtub to rest in if you need it.”

“Really, Raihan? You expect me to live in captivity? Within the confines of a luxury bathroom for the rest of my days?”

“Well...I know it doesn’t sound glamorous but it beats being alone out here in the woods, doesn’t it?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Why?! How could you even- what do you mean?”

“All this time spent together and you still understand nothing.” Though insulting, Piers’s voice remained calm and indifferent. His song slowed, and he began to play more quietly. “As I’ve always said, fossegrimen are one with nature. We can bend it to our will, but it comes with the price of having to follow it like every other animal or plant.”

Raihan was stunned. Silent.

“You hear my music just as I hear the songs of nature. I hear the wind sing as it blows. The leaves play their drums against the branches. Birds chirp, and even the rocks explode in a thunderous orchestra. I hear them argue in the hardest storm. I hear the world weep when the pidoves fly south every autumn, and then again when they return in the spring. You see, to leave my domain would mean to separate myself from the entire world - to give up myself.”

Piers’s song came to an end and he took the last bite of his food. “Tell me, do you think you could do it? Resign yourself from your free will and live a life according to the laws of nature?”

Raihan’s head slowly sank, eyes falling on the dying embers of the fire. “I don’t know. But didn’t you say that surely I must already be doing that if I can hear your music?”

“I did. But soon enough there will be choices to be made. Either follow nature if it leads you away from me or defy it and lose the ability to hear me play.”

“NO!” He jumped to his feet. “Don’t joke about that! Don’t say that, Piers! Please! I don’t want that. Neither of us do. Please don’t-” he choked out each word as he stepped over the fire-pit, closer to Piers. The other didn’t budge but set his bow down on the rock. 

Raihan was losing himself.

No.

He had lost himself when he first met Piers several weeks ago. Ever since he first heard him - saw him playing the violin naked atop the rocks in the falls something hard stirred in him, called for something deep within Raihan’s very soul that he couldn’t explain, and he wanted desperately to stay beside Piers until he knew what it was. His chest was aching, insides turning ablaze until it felt like flames would ignite and explode from every exit of his body.

The dragoon knelt before the fossegrimen. “Please...stay with me. As long as you can. When I’m with you, things don’t make any sense and yet it feels more right than anything else. When I hear your music I feel parts of me awaken that I never knew I had.” A trembling hand reached out to take hold of the musician’s own. Pier’s hand was so thin, felt so fragile, yet had a delicate, icy, and smooth sensation to it. His skin practically shined against Raihan’s dark, sun-kissed copper tone. “Piers, I’m begging you. Stay with me. Stay with me as long as you can tonight. Don’t run from me after the song ends!”

Piers’s eyes were cold, and bleak, glaring down at Raihan. The man was on his knees, groveling at him for his attention. This was the sight of someone at the end of his rope, yet he didn’t even know what he was so desperately hoping to gain out of his company. The dragoon only wished to be by the other’s side as though blindly searching would turn up some kind of treasure Piers was keeping hidden from him. Truly, he knew nothing except what he had already told Raihan, and it confused him.

Still, he enclosed his grip gently over Raihan’s own and raised the man’s hand. He leaned down to softly press a cold, tender kiss to the back of his knuckles.

Piers wasn’t one to admit his true feelings or desires. Having lived a life of solitude, and obeying the laws which nature had intended for him, he never had the right nor reason to act on any thought except to fill the air with sweet music. For the first time, Piers now questioned everything he knew as he watched the man before him undergo so much confusion and suffering. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum. “A most fascinating creature, indeed…” he muttered. 

His cello and bow melted into a mist, surrounding them both and Piers knelt from the rock, into the sand to be closer to Raihan. His free hand reached up to the man’s face to caress his cheek, fingers stroking down Raihan’s neck. The fossegrimen claimed the dragoon in a swift, nervous kiss. Piers’s lips were trembling as he tasted Raihan. Every moment stung his subconscious. His survival instincts blared in his head, ordering him to halt his actions, and yet he pressed forward. He would stay until each, and every voice was drowned out, smothered, eradicated, and for the first time in his life Piers would enjoy the silence - sweet, sweet silence that he only found in Raihan. 

_Don’t let anyone see you. Don’t leave the water. Don’t connect with the human world. Don’t get attached. Don’t invite them in. DON’T… Don’t… don’t…… d o n ’ t……_

Piers’s hold around Raihan was fragile and slipping with his balance. He was shaking even as the voices in his head faded to a distant whisper. Weak, he began to collapse until Raihan’s arm reached around and caught him. “I got you,” he whispered, parting from the kiss.

Raihan gazed into Piers’s green pools. Past his reflection, Raihan could sense the pain, the hurt, the confusion, and the torment the fossegrimen was entangled in. They were shrouded in mist, hidden from all eyes and ears, and yet Piers was still fighting to keep himself from crumbling in his arms. The way he looked back at him - it was like Raihan was no longer a confused human, but instead a desperate **beast**. 

Raihan leaned forward, and hoisted Piers into his lap, held him tight with both arms around him, and reached up to his back. His fingers laced into the messy volume of Piers’s long, black and white hair. “Please...don’t leave me,” Raihan desperately begged with a whisper. “Because I’m not going to leave you.”

They were both a mess, fighting to keep themselves together.

Every motion was being cleverly calculated. Every action came after hesitation. Piers embraced Raihan with both arms. He breathed slowly, deeply, as he rested his head on the other’s shoulders. The man’s body was warm, yet his skin was cool from the evening air. He could feel beads of sweat on his back. His heartbeat thumped against his chest. In a struggle, Piers choked. “I will stay,” he whispered back.

Concealed from all eyes and ears, Raihan leaned Piers back against the rock and gazed into his eyes one more. They kissed again, deeper, and longer than before. The only piece of clothing Raihan was still wearing was removed so that they were both naked. He trailed his lips down Piers’s chin, under his jaw, and down his neck, peppering every spot he could reach as his hands grazed over soft flesh and masses of hair.

Piers was moaning sweetly every time. Heat flushed through him until his face glowed pink, drunk with passion. Pleasure soaked into him. He arched his back against the stone, huffing, chest rising and falling. Raihan’s tongue licked and teased around his nipples, getting them to spike. Lightning shot through him and he clawed into the dragoon’s back, gasping. “Raihan!” he panted.

When Raihan pulled away, Piers opened his eyes to see his lover lapping his tongue over his fingers, and staring down at him with a fire in his eyes. He was like a wolf about to devour a hopeless rabbit. Though a vicious stare, Raihan still caressed and held him with an inescapable gentleness, and kissed his body, sweetly. Not a spot of his skin was spared. And then he stole the grim’s breath with another kiss, slipping his tongue into the other’s mouth and his wet, dripping fingers dug between Piers’s ass. 

His rear exploded in fiery pain. Raihan was pressing into him. His wet fingers slipped through his anus which clenched around them, trying to push him out. Piers held his breath momentarily before sucking in a gasp and then sinking his fangs on his love’s shoulder. The other jerked aside and continued to lightly poke and prod at Piers’s insides. “Fu-ckkk! Raihan,” he hissed. Surely, he began to relax and sink on Raihan’s fingers.

“Shhh,” he cooed into the grim’s ear. “I want you to feel good.”

He continued, and Piers softened to his touch. Heat pulsed through him each time he felt Raihan reach into him to spread his fingers around, touching him in spots he had never dared to, himself. Each time, Piers relaxed a bit more, whimpering and moaning as he was filled with lust. It was exciting, pleasing, but still a little frightening. Piers shut his eyes the entire time as Raihan kept holding him close in his lap. When he felt him remove himself, Piers swallowed and panted. He knew what was about to happen next.

Raihan shifted himself and pushed Piers’s legs apart. His cock was erect and rubbing against Piers’s own. He dragged the tip down the other’s body, leaving a thin, but sticky trail of pre-seed on Piers’s skin until he teased up and down his crack. He used a generous amount of spit in his hand to lube up his shaft, stroking himself with the tip pressing against Piers’s hole. “I’m going to- I mean, can I?”

He didn’t get the full question out before Piers put his arms around his shoulders. “Don’t stop,” he whispered into Raihan’s ear. “Please...I don’t want to think about anything but you, now.”

Piers felt Raihan’s cheek rub against his own. They kissed again, and Raihan entered him. Pained murmurs escaped him as the dragoon advanced. His insides became inflamed, pierced by passion and an eruption, and burned until he wanted to scream out. Raihan delivered that pain, but also stole it away in their kiss, slipping his tongue past Piers’s teeth to meet the other. His arms held him tightly as he rubbed the grim’s back and fingers running through his hair.

 _Just hold tight. It won’t be long,_ Raihan thought. He continued, slowly easing himself into Piers until he was buried up to his hilt. His love’s insides clung around him, walls holding his cock in suffocating grip. Slowly, Raihan began to move. He’d drag his cock out a few inches before returning to warmth within his love. Pokes. Jabs. Tickles. Raihan was treating Piers with as much patience as he could until it seemed safe to quicken his pace.

Piers pulled back from the kiss, gasping and coughing when Raihan began to drive deeper, faster into him. It was overwhelming. Heat swallowed him. His mind became cloudy until he could no longer think straight. Piers was letting himself be consumed by the pleasure washing over him - letting himself be devoured by Raihan. At that moment, Piers forgot about his calling, about the laws of nature, and all he could think about was the other man with him, concealed in a thick mist by the river, loving him.

“Look at me,” his voice called out to him. “Piers, please. Look at me.” Raihan caressed the side of his head, rubbing his cheek with his thumb.

He opened his eyes slowly, letting it all come into focus. His breathing slowed. Raihan was gazing into him, moving at a calmer pace again. Neither one of them said anything but continued to gaze at one another. The world had faded around them. There were no laws of nature to obey. There was no code of arms to uphold or kingdom to defend. All that existed was a lost dragoon and an abandoned musician.

They embraced one another in their tender love-making and reached climax.

* * *

When the mist faded, the two lay in sand and weeds, against a rock, beside a dead fire. They refused to separate and held each other even when they had hardly any strength left.

“Don’t leave,” Piers pleaded. “Please don’t leave….”

Raihan turned to kiss Piers’s forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” It was bizarre, seeing him like this. The once distant, reserved, and docile fossegrimen was now clinging to him like a weakened kitten. Seeing him curled up against his body, huddled for warmth as his hair draped over them both almost felt... _unnatural._

“Thank you, Raihan…” Piers sounded so desperate. The last sight Raihan saw was the melancholy, yet peaceful smile on his love’s face.

They stayed there, holding each other close until sleep separated them at long last while the river waters continued to flow. The world turned ever on as nature played its most sorrowful and cruelest nocturne.


	6. Dark Nocturne

Raihan awoke early the following morning, shivering. He was naked on the riverbank beside a dead firepit. Piers was nowhere to be seen. As he came to, Raihan sluggishly brushed sand and dirt from his body. The dragoon’s head was pulsing from dehydration as his joints creaked, muscles sore, and body aching. A passionate night it had been, the shores had proven not to be a healthy place to sleep.

He was silent as he crawled to the river’s edge and cupped his hands to wash his face in the icy waters. Raihan scanned the area. His ears fluttered as he heard the morning birds chirping, unseen in the treetops. The river was calm, and the falls tranquil. Rapids that had roared with the voice of the lion had reduced themselves to only bubbles as the water tickled over the jagged stone edges which peeked from the river surface. 

“Hey…” he muttered, looking at nothing in particular. “Where are you?”

The morning was too quiet and still for Raihan’s comfort.

As the distant red glow of the sun began to bleed into the pale morning sky, the dragoon remained on the river banks observing Pier’s domain, listening. He couldn’t explain it, but something in the air felt heavy and bleak. He was gritting his teeth, and hands balling into fists.

“HEY!” he barked out to the water. “PIERS! GET OUT HERE!” Raihan’s nostrils flared as he stood, stark naked. “I know you can hear me, damnit! SAY SOMETHIN’!”

Nothing.

Just the same flapping birds, singing in the new morning. Nothing except the river, flowing on. 

* * *

Time passed and so Raihan found himself visiting Pier’s waterfall every evening he could. There was no risk of any consequence to him. The weekly visits had once been boundless curiosity but had now evolved into a frantic, near-hysterical obsession. Since their love-making, Raihan had so many things left unsaid, questions left without answers, and nowhere or no person to turn to for answers besides Piers. There were no phenomenal sounds from the winds nor sweet music welcoming the sun. For the first time, Raihan couldn’t hear Piers.

Weeks spanned into months, and the dragoon watched himself becoming further entangled in his dependency on what he had lost. Hammarlocke’s opera house felt like needles being stabbed into his ears. The King’s banquets tasted like ash, and wine scorched his throat whenever he drank. Nothing could satisfy him save the sweet muses from a fossegrimen’s violin and a burned peasant over an open fire.

Concern from the other knights had been had over Raihan’s worsening state of mind. At first, they had dismissed it as a simple distraction and bad days during training or hunting, but now it was undeniable. Leon would find him trying to sneak out of the castle late at night when on guard duty, demanding to be switched out for patrol. 

Then, it happened.

The day came when even the most loyal of the King’s wyverns would disobey Raihan’s commands. In a fury, Raihan would be snapped at and wrestled against by the very dragon that he tamed and rode every day across Hammarlocke’s skies. His closest companion acted as if it didn’t recognize him anymore, treated him like a stranger, a threat - a monster! 

Raihan was eventually stripped of his position among the dragon riders. He had been reduced to horseback knight and castle guard, never to go outside the village walls except for his off days.

There was nothing left. The kingdom was still rotting from the inside over sickness. The witch hunts were proving fruitless, and the royal chemist failing to create medicine. The clergy commanded no holy might to banish whatever it was that plagued Hammarlocke. Their greatest dragoon was a disgraceful embarrassment to the kingdom. Now that Piers had vanished into thin air, it felt as though the world was disintegrating to be blown away in the winds.

* * *

“Was it really all a dream?” he asked himself under his breath.

It was late, well into the hours of the night. Only a lantern in hand as he wandered through the castle library. Books stacked on a small desk. This had become his routine ever since he submitted to the harsh reality that Piers wasn’t going to reveal himself in the river. Yet, Raihan refused to believe that he was gone. He was pouring his focus into anything he could link to Piers. Water magic, music theory, history, mythical creatures, ancient legends, and fairy tales, yet it all seemed so fruitless.

For what felt like a thousand and one nights he had spent tearing through large tomes, reading old stories of leviathans, serpents, witches, dragons, mermaids, and sirens but nothing seemed to point him towards any answer. In fact, Raihan wasn’t even sure what he was looking for after so long. He was staring, droopy-eyed at illustrations on faded, discolored pages of mermaids. An old children’s tale of a mermaid who gave up her voice to be with the man she loved, but ultimately met with a broken heart, and her doom.

“But I never betrayed you,” he whispered to the book before him. “Why? Why did you leave me?” Raihan’s hands were shaking, unsure of what to do. Flip the page and continue reading? Scream? Cry? He knew that this image wouldn’t speak back to him, felt a feral instinct deep within him told him to howl at this mermaid - to condemn her insolence and silence. He wanted to hurl back into the shadows, to tear every page from it until it was no longer recognizable. No course of action would bring Piers back to him, and he knew this. In a slow, deep breath, Raihan hunched over the desk. 

A puff of smoke trailed, from the lantern, no doubt. It always seemed to occur - the fire mimicking the once-dragoon’s rage. Sometimes he would swear he could see it reacting in time with his own breath and dismissed it all as delusion from sleep deprivation. This was another one of those times, and his usual cue that he should go to bed. Rarely did he heed these warnings, but that night he had no strength to resist. He couldn’t even bring himself to stand from the library table and found himself falling face-first into the very book he had been talking to.

Darkness. Nothingness.

Just like that, everything Raihan knew was gone, save for the presence of old parchment and the scent of dust and old ink pressed against his face. For a moment, everything seemed calm. He was floating, swimming in a vast ocean of shadows, feeling his consciousness slipping. Even in such a state, Raihan’s eyes wandered through the darkness as he moved forward, looking for something he knew he wouldn’t find.

An echo rang, distant. Like someone was talking towards him. He looked through the darkness but saw no one - nothing as the footsteps came closer, and closer and then- Raihan woke up. A gentle hand was on his shoulder. They remained steady, even as he jerked himself up from the desk, swinging his arm about to try and strike whoever had disturbed him. He lost his balance, and nearly fell onto the floor as the elderly Opal stepped away from his attempted attack. “Such a tragic young man you’ve become, Sir Raihan,” the old crone said as she tapped her cane on the floor. “Yet who would think you would become quite the attempted scholar in your downfall.” Ever cheerful, even when the world was in a crumbling state, Opal’s voice was eerie yet bright and cheerful, teasing anyone she pleased.

Raihan didn’t say anything as he picked himself.

“Let me see. What are you so smitten with this late at night? Oh! Why just children’s stories? I would have thought it was something far more important. And such a sad one, at that. Surely you know how it ends, don’t you?”

Raihan groaned. “Yeah. She dies at the end because the prince betrayed her love.”

“Yes, but do you know what happens  _ after  _ she does?”

His interest spiked. As many times as he had flipped through these books, it never occurred to him to read this fairytale in its entirety. After all, everyone knew this story, and when anyone told it, it always ended with the mermaid’s death. “What do you mean?”

“Mythical creatures are so lucky. I think that’s why we are drawn to them. You see, almost all of them can cheat the very fate we humans all share, but cannot escape. The mermaid doesn’t truly die at the end of her story. No no no! Like fairies, mermaids do not have a soul. However, fairies with pure hearts are reincarnated from the flowers that bloom where they die. And mermaids? In fact, they are a rare exception. Because of her pure heart, the sun causes the sea to turn into air, and so she becomes a wind spirit. Then she is told by God that after 300 years of performing good deeds for mankind she will be granted a soul and allowed to ascend into Heaven. It truly is a beautiful ending, don’t you think? What are 300 years for an eternity redeemed?”

“You seem to know a lot about this stuff don’t yuh, Lady Opal? Guess it makes sense for a grandma to know her stories.”

Opal cackled. “Well, this Granny is all the years wiser than even the King. Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?”

“My parents were destroyed by a witch's curse when I was only a baby.”

“That was their first mistake. Everyone knows to never mess around with witches.” Again, she cackled as he stabbed her cane against the floor. “I could tell you anything you want to know if it's fairy tales you’re learning. Fairies, centaurs, mermaids, sirens, goblins, and far away places. Tell me, sir Raihan, why are you up so late reading these?”

Raihan was hesitant to speak. Everyone knew about his little adventures to the waterfalls, to see his supposed magical musician, but by now he would sound like a madman. Even Leon was in disbelief over it all after months. He sighed, unsure of how to answer, and yet noise can from his lips, speaking without thought. “Do you know what happens when all these creatures die? What about when sirens die?”

“That is a very peculiar question, Sir Raihan, but I do have an answer. You see they envy humans for the one thing we have that they don’t. A soul. In life, sirens and mermaids enjoy the pleasure of being able to manipulate and control the laws of nature at their will, but when they die, they have no place to go. And so they become one with the very nature they once controlled. That is why mermaids turn to seafoam, and why fairies grow into flowers.”

Raihan’s eyes thinned as his blood chilled. The very thought - no! There was no way. If Piers had disappeared then it would mean that he was…

The knight stood in a heated rage, knocking over his chair in the process, and grabbed Opal by the collar of her nightgown. “Don’t say that, you old crone!” he barked as the lantern of the table sizzled and popped; the flame burning bright. “HE’S NOT GONE! HE CAN’T BE!”

The look on Opal’s face had said it all. She was confused, and a little frightened as he blinked at Raihan. Her cane dropped as her weak, wrinkled hands swiftly tried to unhinge Raihan’s hold on her. “My word, wh-whatever do you mean, Raihan! Unhand me this instant! Sir Raihan!”

Frustrated, he did as he was asked, and stepped away from Opal, grinding his teeth together. He felt like his answer was so close, that he wouldn’t dare let up, now. He had to ask the most difficult questions. “Is there a way? For humans to become one with nature? Like you said? A way for a human to communicate with the spirits around us? Tell me! I need to know!”

“Oh, Sir Raihan, that is a very difficult thing to do. Why, the only way you would be able to do that would be with the help of very powerful magics, from a powerful witch….”

“I’ll do it! Whatever it takes. Lady Opal, please! Tell me what I have to do!”

“Sir Raihan, please. It’s late. You don’t know what you’re saying. Have you gone mad?” She veered her hand up in protest.

“Tell me, right now! What do I have to do to become one with nature?!”

“Why, Sir Raihan...you must give up your very soul.”


	7. Sonata for the Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't planned on writing this chapter, but at work, I had a burst of creativity for world-building, and couldn't stop until I finished. Please enjoy.

Opal had led Raihan to her apartment in the castle. They were in her study, a small library with a desk in the center of the chamber. The room was light but a messy array of candles and lanterns positioned all about the room. Indeed if even one was knocked over it would risk setting the entire archives ablaze.

She stared at Raihan in disbelief. She breathed slowly, not daring to make much of a sound as he finally explained it all to her. Discovering a fossegrimen, drawn to him by his music, everything he had learned from Piers, and then the sudden disappearance. In the pit of her guts, she was awestruck, but also envious. Even just hearing about it made her skin crawl, and turn green. A woman of many years, and master of fairy Pokemon, and even she had never been so blessed to experience such a phenomenon that Raihan happened upon by chance.

Was it fate? Luck? She didn’t know. The old crone’s hand gripped around the head of her cane, knuckles cracking, bones rubbing and chafing against the many rings on her fingers as she loosened herself. The growing scowl on her face vanished to a more composed appearance, and she nodded her head.

“I see…” she began. “So, you wish to remove your soul in the hopes that you may find where your little merman has disappeared to? Who’s to say he didn’t just swim away and leave the Kingdom?” Opal walked about her apartment and turned her head to pass a glance at Raihan as she spoke. With a tug of a large rope, the large silk curtains opened, revealing her balcony that overlooked the whole kingdom from high in her tower. “The world is indeed vast beyond Hammarlocke, my pet. He could have gone anywhere.”

Raihan banged his fists on the woman’s desk, gritting his teeth at her. “NO! I know he couldn’t have. There’s no way Piers would have just left without reason!”

“How can you be so sure? You said so yourself that you hadn’t seen him in months. Sure, it’s possible you could lose the ability to hear his music, but not seeing them only means they either left or have died! What proof do you have that he may have already departed this world?” Her voice was stern as she stabbed her cane into the marble floors. Opal continued moving about, pulling books from mess piles and shuffling through pages in a language Raihan couldn’t even begin to decipher.

“Because...that night, he just...he seemed so…” Raihan swallowed, remembering to still so vividly despite months having gone by.

“Yes?”

“The way he was acting had been so different. Piers had always been cold, and short-tempered. But that night he seemed almost weak, and timid. He was scared, almost like he knew something was going to happen to him and he just-” Even now, the memory was clear. Raihan could still smell the fresh water and sand tangled in Piers’ hair, feel his cool smooth skin at his fingertips, his taste lingered on his lips, making the dragoon’s tongue twitch savor it. His ears twitched, remembering the last song he had heard him playing, one of such sorrow and misery.

Having to relive it all was painful - painful in the fact that it wasn’t until now that Raihan realized Piers’ final words and actions hadn’t been a promise of, but a desperate cry for protection.

“He was gone, and I couldn’t save him!”

Silence.

Opal nodded her head once again and moved to pull another, but much small rope. “Very well then, Sir Raihan,” she said. Momentarily, a large cauldron was summoned between two bookshelves, almost as if it came right out of the wall. She continued flipping through her books, running her finger over text, and currying to collect various things lying around. “Well, what you’re asking for is a very tall order, Sir Rahan. The extraction of one’s soul can be a very dangerous act, and one that can become permanent.”

“I don’t care! Do it. Take my soul if you must. If it’ll allow me to fuse with nature and find him, then it’s worth it!”

She shook her head. “Let me make it very clear for you before you do this….” Opal began dropping whatever she had collected into the bubbling cauldron, checking her book every time to make sure there were no mistakes. “You won’t fuse with nature, for starters.” In went, a slimy-looking creature, creating a large puff of smoke. “Once the soul is removed you’ll lose your right to be human, and gain a new form.”

This time Opal sprinkled in flakes of herbs Raihan couldn’t identify. He had never been the scholar of anything save the blade, the spear, and wyverns. Probably witches hazel, he figured.

“What form you’ll take well...that depends on you and the deeds you’ve done throughout your human life. You could turn into a fossegrimen like this fellow of yours, but there’s an equal chance you might end up an ifrit or mindless imp. Are you prepared for that?”

“What do you mean I won’t fuse with nature?! You said in the library I would be able to if my soul was removed!”

The witch continued her work, moving slowly, but steady. “That is true, in layman's terms. See, creatures such as dragons and fairies live in our world thanks to the aether. Magic essence is potent in all forms of life and is this kind of energy that sirens, pixies, and all creatures of that nature draw from in order to live. Some do this naturally, absorbing the essence in everything around them. It’s in the air, in the water, in the trees- everything, seemingly limitless, and what allows them to life eternal. While others, like sirens, must feed off human flesh.”

“So then how is it that fairies die whenever a human no longer believes in them?”

“Fairies are a particularly special case, Sir Raihan. I’m sure you’re familiar with the tale of Foreverland? There was once a great and powerful fairy, who guided children to a land where they could stay young forever, but you see...as kind and beloved as she was, her very actions were selfish - kidnapping children for the very thing that kept her, and all her sisters alive: faith. For as long as a child never grew old, they always believed in fairies, and thus the fairies had eternal life.”

“You expect me to believe that an old story we were told when we were kids was actually real?” he sneered.

“All stories have to come from somewhere, Sir Raihan. Fact or fiction, well...that depends on who you ask.”

“How do you know all this, Lady Opal?”

In went a handful of eyeballs, making the brew sizzle. 

“The very same reason a fairy stays alive. Faith, trust, and, well...some might add a bit of pixie dust, but that part really is fiction,” Opal giggled as she continued, this time pouring in an entire bottle of something pale, and of a foul stench. “Have you ever wondered how witches and wizards use magic? There are many theories of this. Some say that they are only half-human - part dragon or fae, themselves. But in many cases, it is because of their faith in the unseen that they are granted the right of privilege to channel magic’s essence into their world.”

“What does all this have to do with me? What exactly will happen after my soul is removed? After I take on this new form?”

Opal turned to look over her shoulder and smiled. “Think of the essence like an invisible blanket. It covers everything in the world, but we cannot see it. After your soul is removed, you’ll connect into the aether, and transform. You’ll be able to hone into another realm and see into the essence. If your fossegrimen is still in this world, even as a lowly wind spirit, you’ll be able to see him, among many other things. Are you prepared for that?”

“Whatever it takes, but is there a chance it can be undone should I never find him?”

She grabbed a large spoon by the fire and began to stir. “The soul cannot last long outside the human body before it withers and dies. If that happens, you will be trapped in your new form forever, and when you die...there will be nothing left of you.” 

As she kept stirring, Opal looked over her shoulder and Raihan with a stern, serious look in her eyes. “Three days. That’s all you have. Return here on the evening of the third day, or else you forfeit your soul.” With that, it seemed whatever she was brewing was finished, as with a wave of her hand, Opal conjured a goblet from thin air, ready to school it full.

“Wait! I forgot something very important…” Opal raced over to a small treasure box on her desk and grabbed a handful of tiny crystals, which she immediately tossed into the cauldron. As she continued stirring, the brew bubbled bright pink. The air of the study was clouded in a sweet, sugar scent. “To help it go down better,” she teased with a smirk as she handed a full cup to Raihan.

He eyed suspiciously, staring at his murky reflection on the surface of the pink liquid. His heart was pounding so heavy that he felt he was going to burst. He could feel his blood being hammered as he watched the sizzling bubbles atop the steam potion. Everything Raihan wanted was right in front of him in his trembling hands, looking back at him with eager, anxious eyes.

“Lady Opal, and what is that you want in return?”

“I beg your pardon?”

He looked up at her. “Surely you expect some form of payment for this, don’t you?”

Opal only smiled and shook her head with closed eyes. “My dear Raihan, I have lived longer than I care to recall. You simply drinking my potion will be more than the payment I need.”

Still, he hesitated, looking back and forth from the cup and Opal. “...is it you? Are you the witch the king has been hunting all this time?”

Again, she shook her head. “No, dear. Magic is different from science. It can conjure food, manipulate the soul, and warp nature’s laws, but it cannot create disease. It cannot heal the injured. Curses, hexes, and enchantments are one thing, but sickness- that is a different realm that magic cannot touch.”

Raihan was silent, processing her words over one final time. His eyes twitched, and he looked out to the balcony, and then back to Opal one final time. “Thank you, Lady Opal. I’ll be back in three days. Please, keep this a secret between the two of us, will you?”

Opal followed him out onto the balcony and twisted her ring. “Not a soul will know where you’ve gone. Once you’ve taken off, I won’t be able to help you. Make haste, Sir Raihan. When you’re ready…”

He nodded, eyeing. The woman’s ring as it sparkled in the moonlight. Then his eyes fell back on the cup in hand. This was not the time for second-guessing or hesitations. With a deep breath, Raihan raised the glass to his lips and began to drink it as fast as he could. The taste was ungodly and had him gagging. His throat reflexed, choking just from the taste. If those crystals were meant to help it go down easier, Raihan could only imagine how bad it would have been, raw.

Even just the first few gulps made him want to involuntarily drop the goblet to the floor, and throw up whatever he had swallowed. Raihan pushed forward, taking gulp after gulp, and licking whatever spilled down the side of his face. Not a drop would go to waste as he thought Piers at the moment. The knight’s vision blurred and his body began to shake violently as he threw his head back to better pour the cup’s contents down his burning throat.

When it felt like the worst had passed, Raihan immediately collapsed to his knees. He could barely see, anymore. His body was going numb, mind dizzy, and insides burning. His hand instinctively reached for his throat to try and soothe the fire, raging down to his guts as he gasped for air. Spitting, coughing, and gasping for breath as drool and leftover potion seeped down his chin, Raihan felt delirious.

What was happening to him? 

Raihan couldn’t control himself, anymore. His body was acting on reflex, like it was being tugged by invisible forces, limps reaching until he was on all fours, and spine hunched. He could see, keeping his eyes shut and he started screaming, but heard nothing save the world around it, as if his voice had been swallowed in a void of oblivion. Bones cracked, and organs twisted until he could no longer tell what shape his body was, anymore. Everything felt heavy. His jaw unhinged and his clothes ripped from his body as appendages sprouted from his shoulders, ripping his flesh apart, sending him into a whirlwind of agony. His head split into agony as pain stabbed through either side of his scalp, reaching into the sky. Blood dripped down his face, warm and thick. The strong, endless taste of iron flooded his mouth. Still, his silent screams howled through the night. Death was rearing its scythe over the knight’s head, ready to send him to the hereafter.

Was this what it meant to lose one’s soul; for Hell to grip its claws around and claim someone?

In a final eruption of pain, Raihan howled, this time loud and clear into the night as his eyes shot open with a blood-raged stare to the stars, vision still blurred by the pain. then...it was over. He was huffing frantically, trying to suck as much air as his lungs could hold. Every fiber of his being urged him to collapse. The knight wasn’t even sure how he could find the strength to stand back up. He was still coughing as his sight began to return him, looking down at his hands.

Claws? Scales?! He moved them, and then shook himself about, and gasped! These weren’t his hands.  _ NO!  _ They  _ were,  _ and that’s what frightened him. His rough, dark skin could still be seen but was now scared with scorch marks and scales sprout from his flesh, fingers long, and nails sharp and curved like talons. With heavy breaths, he ran his tongue under his teeth which threatened to tear and slice at it. Fangs. His shoulders felt heavy, and so he turned around, feeling his wings drag on the wind. Startled, he beat them and lost his balance. Raihan tumbled to the balcony floor, tripping over his large tail.

The transformation had worked. Raihan stood tall, and weak, with wings on his back, horns on his head, a tail dragging behind, scales over his skin, and eyes piercing through the shadows with a scarlet, fiery glow. Raihan had turned into a creature of ancient legend, one that was thought long extinct. Centuries had told of the ancient being that stood human-shaped but lived alongside the dragons, serving as the connection across the gap between humanity and the prophesized bringers of destruction: the draconians.

Hardly moments after getting back on his feet, light glowed around Raihan’s body and then streamed across the balcony towards Opal, and vanished into the gem of her ring. A pale light shined from it, and then...it dimmed to nothing, trapped in the ebony stone. A hollow, emptiness was left in the confines of Raihan’s being. He felt lighter but also darker like a bottomless pit had opened deep within. He could feel it - his soul was gone.

“Three days, Sir Raihan. Make haste,” Opal said in a grim tone.

The draconian didn’t answer. He gazed out into the night. The veil had been lifted. He could see the world’s essence in a sea of color, sprites, and particles of dust floating around everything.

Raihan stretched his enormous wings and beat them against the air until he lifted his body from the balcony. This was it. He was off, cascading across the winds, into the night. First to the falls, and then he’d search from there, follow any leads the essence could give him. He would find Piers if he still existed in their world.

His search had begun.


	8. A Confessional

> I’m afraid to say this fanfic will not be updated anymore. The truth is, this story was never intended to be a fanfic. The original concept was meant for a novel-sized story. I disguised it as a Pokemon fanfic for the sake of getting feedback and followers. When Pokemon SWSH came out, it was more coincidental that the game had a fantasy-esc setting and a popular ship (KBNZ) that was easy to project my story onto. Just a few alterations and everything worked as a Pokemon fanfic. You might notice that I tried very hard in chapter 1 to make it clear that it was still in the Pokemon universe, but by chapter 5-7, it’s pretty much only related to Pokemon in character names, only.
> 
> One more chapter had been intended but after I finished it- it just became painfully out of place to try and fit it into the Pokemon universe.
> 
> For now, I will be taking a break. Until I feel mentally sound enough to continue this, I’ll be working on the intended prequel novel (which might be floating around disguised as another fanfic ;) ) Truth be told, _Operetta de Fantasía_ has been the most personal, emotionally taxing, and mentally draining story I have written due to the themes and inspiration, and how it all relates to my personal life. Although the last few chapters leave off on a dark cliffhangers, this story is really an intended love-letter to my amazing partner, whom without him in my life, I don’t think I’d ever continue writing. I can’t wait for him, and everyone else to one day read this story how it’s meant to be, and see the ending. It will happen, but not for some time.
> 
> These first 7 chapters will remain up until the final draft is finished...or until I discover a better way to release original works online instead of disguising them as fanfics. To anyone who feels cheated, I’m sorry, but I hope you’ll stick around as I continue fleshing out other fanfics and stories. Who knows- I might need beta readers before submitting the final draft to agencies and publishers.
> 
> 9 months. 50 Google Docs pages. 20,000 words. 6 chapters, and a holiday special. And still, so much more to come.
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for taking interest in _Operetta de Fantasía_.


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